


One Christmas Moment

by derelict_mansion



Series: Don't Get Involved [3]
Category: That '70s Show
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29603088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derelict_mansion/pseuds/derelict_mansion
Summary: Steven and Ruby have had several moments in one another's company, but nothing is resolved and neither want to avoid one another any longer on a merry Christmas eve night.
Relationships: Jackie Burkhart/Michael Kelso, Steven Hyde/Original Character(s)
Series: Don't Get Involved [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032579
Kudos: 2





	One Christmas Moment

-December 24th, the Formans basement, 7pm-

Red and green paper chains hang on the walls, of the basement, clothespinned to string tacked into the corners of the room. Bags of cheese puffs and chips are out on a red paper tablecloth cloth covering the washer and dryer, with a bowl of punch and bottles of pop on the small table, moved away from the TV to the back of the room opposite the stairs. Tunes from _Rocky Mountain Christmas_ play in a rumbly tone on the 8 track player over the low chatter, an album which Steven Hyde would surely confiscate and misplace to prevent future repeats.

The crowd isn't very large, there are various kids from Point Place High and some from Eric's mother's incessant youth group pastor friend Pastor Dave's recommendation. Kelso and Donna are there, and so is Jackie, who Kelso has convinced to go under the lie that it would be fancy, with cocktails and charming conversation. It was true that there _were_ cocktails, but they were upstairs at the adult Forman's christmas party, which they had all been firmly banned from.   
Eric had been tasked with retrieving any beer possible from the upstairs fridge, and had yet to return.

Steven leans against the wall behind the couch, not enthused by the cheesy music and the crowd of schoolmates who weren't cool enough to have gone to any other parties. Out of boredom, but not trying to be eager he searched the room for the familar chestnut hair and easy posture that made Ruby stand out to him.

They hadn't spoken in at least a week, avoiding glances in school and around the spots in town. There was palpable tension between them, awkwardness and wondering, and vauge irritation. His eyes roamed over his plastic cup of watery soda and ice as he remembered the last time they'd interacted, and moreso the last time they'd been alone together.

It was on the stairs, in the same place where they'd fallen to the sudden senseless magnetic pull and kissed without indication, having smoothed it over after by neither party bringing it up to one another, only Donna being privy to the secret. 

This time they had stood in mirrored spots as before, each on their way to something else and passing comments when between one breah and the next they had met one tanother with hands at waists and restingn on chest, kissing without reason before the moment ended and then she would be gone, not meeting his eye.

After that, neither would speak to one another and it grew tense trying to keep his zen around the group when all the time he was wondering, were those mistakes to her, did she see him as something casual or was that all that would happen between them? And if it was, he wanted things to be okay between them. They had barely been getting comfortable with one another as friends in the Gang, and then two thoughtless moments had jolted the trajectory. He wouldn't expect anything amazing, he just wanted things back to their original comfortable pace.

So when he'd seen her down the road from the Hub one evening, walking towards her neighborhood and away from a gaggle of their high school peers, he couldn't wait any longer and pulled his car to the side so they could talk. He had to break the silence with an offer for a ride, which she refused like most times. He was frustrated, but kept it from her so he could get out what he needed.

"Hang around the basement again." he'd told her. "With everyone, and whenever else." They shared a weary hesitant glance, pausing over the unspoken intent before he continued. "It's all cool. Okay? There's nothing to be weird about, and no hard feelings about whatever happens."  
She didn't change her mind about the ride, but she'd given him a few words in acceptance. Nothing had to change, everything would be normal again. Except they still hadn't spoken, she'd been in other places whenever he looked for her in school, and absent in the basement since.

He'd seen her around the party that night, talking to and hanging around others but not looking over his way yet, so he's surprised when she makes her way over to him after stepping around a tipped-over Fez who had been convinced to wrap himself in tinsel. 

"Hey." 

"Hey."

They stand facing one another, some of the only ones not moving to music or gigglingly eyeing groups of one another. Both hold their plastic cups of Piggly Wiggly diet soda uncomfortably, feeling crowded and intruded on by the noise of the party.

"So can we um.." Ruby begins, her voice low and not nervous, but guardedly hesitant in the open room.

"Yeah." Hyde interjects, stepping away from the wall and indicating the recessed hallway, walled by grey concrete blocks that led to doorways; the crowded storage of various boxed up Forman decor and his bedroom, both rooms bare of the papers and tinsel of the bright holiday setting. They slip away from the party and stand inside the doorframe to his small room.

The sounds of the party are audible but become slightly quieter, and they look around the floor and thr bare gritty textured walls for a moment before speaking.

"Steven." Ruby draws a breath and raises her head to face him, continuing hesitantly but pressing on. "Look.." she paused to let out the breath slowly. "it's tiring pretending we don't like one another." 

With a Zen face, but eyes fixed on hers in study, Steven hides his surprise and answers in his regular manner. "Like? Is that what this is?" continuing after a pause. 

"We kissed a few times, and then you keep running away from me. Kind of hard to know what you want." He puts one hand in his pocket in an unconsciously defensive move of false casual ease and waits for an answer.

"I like you." is her simple answer, her voice quiet and matter-of-fact.   
"It's dumb to pretend. But I don't have time for a boyfriend and to complicate things." she pausws, and then continues with quiet purpose. 

"And I'm not the kind to fool around with you and then hang out in the basement like we're just friends." her eyes don't immediately meet his again after this, but raise to his face after a brief second.

Hyde laughs in mild surprise.  
"Well damn, Ruby. I'm not really the flowers and romance guy. You should have that figured out, so I don't know why that's your problem.   
And if I thought you were easy, Kelso shooting his shot wouldn't have been as funny." he grins.

The corners of Ruby's mouth soften into a small smile, thinking of Kelso's tactless advances as soon as she'd been introduced to the basement gang. "I know. Donna told me I didn't have anything to worry about with you wanting something serious." 

"But.." she exhales, shaking off the tension slightly in a small movement. "I can't be the girlfriend making time at school or bringing you home to my parents or anything, either. Let's hang out and do whatever, just don't get involved. We both have places to go after Point Place."

Hyde shifts comfortably to put his weight on his other leg, resting inside the doorframe.

"Then don't be." 

There is a buzz between them as he continues, the noise of the party dimming as their conversation captures their whole focus. Everything is narrowed to just them, in the hallway with the hum and pleasantness of the evening.

"I hate being in the basement or hanging around the Hub and acting like nothing happened." he lets out a pent up breath.  
"I want to kiss you, Ruby. And hang out without pretending the rest of the time. Screw everything else, and we won't tell anyone if it'll save you talk from people." 

The buzz becomes a nearly tangible static field between their bodies, only a few feet apart in the narrow hall. Their eyed are fixed on one another, tension and hormones bringing memories of their two previous unintended experiences. 

Mesmerized and seizing the moment, Ruby takes half a step forward, her face tilted up to keep her gaze on Steven's eyes. Her eyes flick between his steel blue ones and his mouth, which is tilted into a slight smirky grin.

"Don't run away this time." Hyde murmurs, stepping in to meet her. His right hand comes up to her cheek, two fingertips brushing her jaw and tilting her chin towards him. There is a pause of looking into one anothers eyes before their first, intended and non- spur of the moment kiss, before their lips meet and their eyes close, hands meeting more securely on their holds onto arms and hips. Their first, softe and chaste kiss breaks way into deeper motions and they are leaned into one another against the open door.

Above them unbeknownst to both, a mistletoe hangs, placed by Kitty.

-end scene-

**Author's Note:**

> Another scene in my TSS AU, it's formatted and edited on mobile so I'll be making changes and adding some things like dates as I finalize the timeline for the whole fic.


End file.
